Oh No!
 

Okay I could have sworn I read on here that if a sheath has turned brown, like on a Cattleya that it meant it was dead....so what did I do? I took the "dead" sheath off...to my dismay....it still had a bud forming inside that was green:_( Well I guess I got that lesson out of the way...lol.

Oh, Becca! I'm so sorry to hear that!:( I do remember a discussion recently about brown/black sheaths, but I think it was about peeling the sheath so that water didn't collect inside.

No, sometimes brown and dead looking sheaths do still provide flowers. Most of the time they don't though.

I leave mine on there just in case, it's unsightly but doesn't hurt usually.

I leave my sheaths on for a year, you never know ;)

Aww that's a shame...I'd feel really badly too, and probably would've done the same thing!!

Does this mean that the buds inside are doomed? Is the sheath absolutely necessary for them to grow?

Hi shakkai! I found the thread and it isn't the one in the advance forum on peeling sheath's......and I am not going to tell anyone which one it is because I am not pointing any fingers at anyone....it is my own fault. But just for future reference for those who are wondering ..... a dried brown sheath does not mean there will be no flower....a dried brown sheath does not mean there will be no flower.... a dried brown sheath does not mean there will be no flower:biggrin:

We'll all say it with you! A good lesson for all of us, but so annoying to have to learn the hard way! I, too, would have thought that if it looked all brown and dried up, there was no more life in there.... maybe this is another good reason for me to not grow Cattleyas!

Aw now, Rebecca. I thought you had promised to amend your "bull in the china shop" ways. It's learn, then do, not the other way around.

I know how disappointing that can be. It's almost worse though, if you know that the buds are there, but break them while trying to open a "stuck" sheath.